Dear Colleagues,

I hope your winter break afforded you the opportunity to hibernate, reflect, celebrate and rejuvenate. As we move through the winter into spring, many activities and events are on the horizon. From celebrating National School Counseling Week to Black History Month to National CTE Month, there is much for us to look forward to!

In this newsletter, you will discover a variety of national and Oregon resources and upcoming events to support your work with students, families and caregivers. I hope you find inspiration and excitement in the months ahead. 

National School Counseling Week 2023, "School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big," will be celebrated February 6-10, 2023, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in supporting students' mental health and well-being, academic achievement and career planning for their future.

Celebrate this week by accessing the American School Counselor Association's promotional toolkit and downloads. Be sure to use #NSCW23 for social media communication. Check out the Events Calendar for a week of activities and resources.

National School Counseling Week is a great time to advocate for the school counselor's role and the comprehensive school counseling program. Here are some ideas for various ways to celebrate:

District-Level

• Superintendents or School Boards can make an official proclamation recognizing school counselors. 
• Districts can send an email to administrators reminding them of the dates of National School Counseling Week.
• Write an article for your Communications Department to spotlight the contributions of a particular school counselor or the work of school counselors in general.
• Create a spotlight page on your district or school website, as well as your social media, to highlight your school counselors during the week.
• Submit information about National School Counseling Week on a district, school, or community calendar.
• Provide a virtual school counselor lunch/celebration from the supervisor of all district school counselors or at the building level.

School-Level

• Participate in ASCA's Photo Challenges, Webinars and Events. 
• Get resources for sharing with others the work of school counselors at each level: Role of the School Counselor.
• Update your virtual background to proudly celebrate comprehensive school counseling programs.
• Promote the counseling program through your social media accounts and include the National School Counseling Week hashtag: #NSCW23.
• Share about the counseling program with students and staff during daily announcements, advisories and assemblies. 
• Send a newsletter home to update families on the counseling program and the role of school counselors.
• Send a personal thank you note/card – consider mentioning specific examples that exemplify what makes you grateful for school counselors.
• Promote thank you/appreciation notes or emails from teachers and parents to school counselors.
• Encourage cards/drawings or virtual messages from students (individually or as a classroom group)
  • “This year you taught/helped me…”
  • “Thank you for…”
  • "I heart my school counselor because..."
• Give a small gift, favorite drink, or favorite candy (one day or each day of the week).
• Provide donuts in the staff lounge in honor of National School Counseling Week.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture's Learning Lab collections utilize objects, documents, imagery, and videos to enhance content knowledge, hone historical thinking skills, and inspire users to see themselves as agents of change. The lab includes numerous resources for educators and students of all grade levels. The featured image here highlights artifacts from the collection to be shared with young learners PreK-3. Explore additional educator resources from NMAAHC or from these resources for grades K-5 and 6-12.

Every February, the CTE and CCL community celebrates National CTE Month to raise awareness of the role that CTE has in readying learners for college and career success. National CTE Month is also a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of our CTE partners at the local, state and national level.

CTE Month is supported by a variety of CTE groups and organized by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

Here are some ideas from ACTE on various ways to celebrate:

• Celebrate. Recognize those in your community, whether it’s high-achieving CTE learners, exemplary educators, or impactful partners that have a positive influence in CTE by celebrating their accomplishments through awards programs. 
• Involve Your Partners. The Career Technical Education (CTE) community encompasses all the people that work to make your CTE program – whether it’s at the local, state or national level – great, including education, community, and business partners. Encourage them to advocate for CTE to their own networks, and invite partners to participate in celebratory events or site visits.

• Coordinate. Once you've got all partners on board, it's crucial to coordinate messaging among all who will help to promote CTE during the month. Supply partners with sample social media posts, templates and website copy to be sure all partners are messaging under a common theme. This will ensure all stakeholders are using proven, learner-centered messaging.

• Engage Employers. Contact local employers and businesses that aren’t yet familiar with your CTE program and invite them to school visits to showcase high-quality CTE in action or career fairs with already engaged employers.

• Get the word out. Let the local media know what’s happening and invite them to your planned awards ceremonies, career fairs or school visits highlighting innovative CTE.
• Join the Conversation. CTE Month is celebrated nationwide, including on social media. Join in on Twitter chats, upload photos of your events, feature student work, and engage in discussion with CTE advocates from across the country using the #CTEMonth hashtag.
• Recognize CTE at the State Level. Engage policymakers in the conversation and encouraging them to designate February as CTE month.